Hermione's Strange and Chilling Tale
by Citywriter84
Summary: A retelling of Chamber of Secrets from Hermione's point of view - with the difference that Dumbledore blackmailed Hermione by pretending that he would really expel Harry and Ron and compelling her to help him swindle a giant builder by extraordinary methods. Meanwhile, the Chamber of Secrets is open and Hermione is a muggleborn, pregnant with a magical creature. What will happen?
1. Chapter 1

**Brood Mare**

Harry and Ron had missed the Hogwarts Express when the barrier at Platform 9 ¾ sealed itself against them. They decided to make the trip to Hogwarts by flying car instead! Now it was night and on the dark horizon, they saw the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts, looming over the lake.

The car waved its windscreen wipers as though in protest.

"Not much further now," said Ron, patting the steering wheel.

Suddenly, the outline of the castle trembled and a tower collapsed and fell into the lake.

"What in the name of Merlin…?" exclaimed Ron.

"Is it an Earth-quake?" Asked Harry, his heart thudding in his chest.

"We live in the magical world," Ron reminded him. "There could be any number of magical explanations you don't know about."

But they had other problems… There was a loud clunk, and the car's engine died completely.

"Uh Oh…" said Ron.

The car fell like a stone, but Ron was still able to steer with the steering wheel. They turned in a great arc, soaring over the dark greenhouses, the vegetable patch, and then out over the black lawns, losing height all the time.

"Mind that tree!" Harry bellowed, but it was too late. The car crashed into the whomping willow with a bang of metal on wood.

"My wand!" said Ron, holding up his broken wand.

WHAM.

The branches of the whomping willow battered the car and the roof began to sag. Then the car came back to life and went into reverse. The tree almost uprooted itself trying to batter them as they sped out of reach.

"That," panted Ron, "was close. Well done car."

But the car had reached the end of his tether, and ejected them and their luggage, including Hedwig's cage, out of the doors and boot. Then the car rumbled off into the Forest, its rear lights blazing angrily.

Stiff, cold and bruised, they traipsed into the Great Hall. The sky was enchanted to reflect, the clear, starring night sky outside. The Sorting was about to start. Ginny's pale, freckly face and vivid red hair were easily visible in the group of first years. She was the only one not wearing one of those pointed hats that will later be dropped from Hogwarts uniform without explanation.

"Where's Snape?" said Harry. "He can't have been worried about us and been skipping the feast to find out whether we were in trouble. He might have left when Lockheart beat him to the Defence Against the Dark Arts post."

"Or he might have been sacked," said Ron enthusiastically. "I mean, everyone hates him."

"Or maybe," said a very cold voice right behind them, "he's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train."

Harry spun around. There stood Snape, greasy black hair hanging limply down his shoulders. He glared at them. "Follow!"

They traipsed reluctantly after Snape, following him to his office. "In!" commanded Snape, opening the door and pointing.

The walls of Snape's office were lined with shelves of jars containing revolting things pickled in preserving potions.

Snape lifted up a copy of the Evening Prophet, which had already pieced together an article about their exploits in the car. "You were seen!" hissed Snape. "Six Muggles in all. I assure you, that if I had the authority to expel you, I would do so right now. Since you are not in Slytherin, I do not have that happy power. I will fetch the people who do. You will wait here."

McGonagall entered, her glasses glinting angrily. "Explain!" she demanded.

They launched into the story of how the barrier sealed itself and McGonagall asked why they didn't send an owl.

"A mad house elf has been stopping my mail," said Harry. "I wonder if he sealed the barrier. Shouldn't someone be investigating this?"

But although this was obvious, the magical world never runs on logic.

Dumbledore entered next. "Please explain why you have done this," he said.

"Oh I don't know, I wasn't thinking straight after the relatives you put me with tried to starve me," said Harry irritably to the old Machiavelli.

Just then, Hermione burst in. She looked awful, her face all pale and blotchy, her bushy hair askew and her eyes bloodshot, like she'd been worried sick and crying.

"Professor Dumbledore, please don't expel them, I'd do anything."

"Anything? Very well, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore calmly. "I won't be expelling them, but you will owe me a favour."

Released from Snape's office, they went back to Gryffindor Tower.

"You two are so stupid!" stormed Hermione, then she hugged both of them.

* * *

00O00

The collapsed tower was an ominous portent of things to come. The foundations of Hogwarts had trembled as a worm awakened at the heart of the school's foundations.

The next morning, Molly sent Ron a Howler, which screamed sensitive family information in the crowded hall, but even that caused less commotion than the giant mason Dumbledore hired to repair the tower. He was a great brute of a giant, with rocky skin and eyes like blue saucers. He had a great golden stallion, a magnificent beast, to help pull the blocks from the quarry to the castle.

Parvati gazed at the stallion in awe through the window during History of Magic. "Magnificent," she breathed.

"Can't the tower be repaired by magic?" said Harry.

"Magic doesn't work logically or consistently in our world," said Hermione.

"How do you always know what's plausible by magical standards when you were also raised by Muggles?" said Harry suspiciously. "If we were in a story, I'd say the author never gave that point any thought at all."

* * *

00O00

Dumbledore called Hermione into his office the next day. "Ah Miss Granger, about the favour you owe me… I have no intention of paying the exorbitant price demanded by the giant mason. I intend for you to distract that magnificent Stallion of his. He won't be able to complete the contract without the aid of such a great beast of burden. Hagrid will tell you how."

Hagrid led Hermione to a hut in the Forbidden Forest. Inside, there was a strange, green horse skin. Was it some kind of alien horse?

"Let ole' Hagrid turn yer into a mare," said Hagrid, "just our little secret."

He picked Hermione up in his dustbin lid hands and shoved her into the green mare skin. It clung to Hermione, and she screamed in agony as her body melted and warped into horse shape, until she was a shiny green mare herself!

* * *

00O00

The giant mason was perturbed when his great golden stallion was distracted by the sight of a bright green mare stumbling clumsily out of the Forbidden Forest as if she were unused to walking on four legs. The stallion immediately ran after her, and she stumbled back to the forest.

"How extraordinary," said Dumbledore to the giant. "It would seem that you cannot complete our contract."

The giant roared in rage, and would have attached, but Dumbledore performed the Avada Kedavra curse right then and there, and he froze into a stone statue and crumbled into rubble.

* * *

00O00

Harry spent a lot of time dodging Gilderoy Lockhart over the next few days. Harder to avoid was Colin Creevey who seemed to have memorised Harry's timetable with the sole purpose of stalking him. Hermione had been missing, which worried Harry and Ron. On Saturday, after a very boring Quidditch practice and altercation with the Slytherins, Harry and Ron went to Hagrid's cabin. Hermione was there, wrapped in blankets. She was shivering and looked ill and exhausted.

"Hermione's jus' done very well," said Hagrid. "Seducin' tha' stallion."

"What are you talking about, Hagrid?" said Ron, as Hermione glared.

"I shouldn't a told yer tha'," said Hagrid.

* * *

00O00

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madame Pomfrey was kept busy by a spate of colds. Her Pepperup Potion worked immediately, but made the drinker smoke at the ears for hours. Ginny had been looking peaky, so Percy, the only character who cared about her, made her take some potion. The smoke issuing from under her vivid hair made it look as though her head was on fire.

Hermione was feeling ill too. There were changes taking place in her body and she was throwing up in the mornings and was generally pale and sickly the entire time.

She vividly remembered her encounter with the giant's stallion. She even dreamed about it sometimes.

The stallion had caught her as she staggered into the forest in an ungainly way on her four hooves. He had mounted her and then…

As a result, Hermione was pregnant. Hagrid had taken the green mare skin off, but Hermione was still carrying his foal inside her. She looked forward with apprehension to giving birth. What exactly would she give birth to? And would she be able to continue her studies? What if she gave birth during exams?

She sat next to Ron in the common room and tried to knit a baby grow and a little foal shaped coat as Ron struggled through his Potion Homework. Ron was grumpy, so Hermione put an arm around him, feeling nurturing. It was probably her pregnancy hormones.

Harry came back from Quidditch practice at that moment. He had an invitation to Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party.

"I bet there aren't many living people who have been to one of those," said Hermione. "How fascinating."

"Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died?" said Ron. "Sounds dead depressing."

To Hermione's disgust, Fred and George were torturing a salamander, force feeding it a firework.

Percy bellowed himself hoarse at the twins as the salamander vomited sparks and escaped into the fire.

* * *

00O00

It was Seven O' Clock on Halloween. The trio directed their steps towards the dungeons. Jet black tapers cast ghostly blue light over everything. The dungeon was full of pearly white, transparent people and a chandelier of the black candles blazed midnight-blue. The smell from the snacks was disgusting. It made Hermione want to throw up again, even though she had puked a lot that morning. Large, rotten fish and burned cakes and mouldy cheese were piled on platters.

"I suppose they let it rot to give it a stronger flavour," said Hermione, holding her nose.

The party was not fun at all. The trio went back to the Great Hall, having put in a token appearance. Hermione was feeling the need to lie down, when Harry gave a start.

"Harry, what's wrong?" asked Hermione anxiously.

"Shush. Listen," said Harry. Hermione listened, but heard nothing. Harry ran up the stairs, and she and Ron followed, Hermione soon getting out of breath. The foal inside her was sapping her energy.

"It's going to kill someone!" said Harry.

Hermione felt queasy with anxiety. What was going on? For all her book smarts, she still didn't know everything about the wizarding world. Surely Harry hearing voices couldn't be a good sign, even in a world of magic? For his sake, she hoped there was a magical explanation.

Hermione stumbled after Harry and Ron, and arrived in the flooded corridor outside Moaning Myrtle's toilet.

Hermione felt a chill. Foot high walls had been daubed on the wall in paint that was resistant to magical mess remover (though it's never explained why).

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE!

Mrs Norris was hanging from the torch bracket by her tail, totally immobile, eyes wide and staring.

"Shouldn't we try and help?" asked Hermione.

"No, we obviously don't want to be found here," said Ron.

Too late, a crowd of students, inexplicable including Slytherins who have a common room in the dungeons below the Great Hall, had made their way up to Moaning Myrtles toilet of all places. They fell silent at the sight of the threatening message and the immobile cat.

But not Draco Malfoy.

"Enemies of the Heir beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

Malfoy's cheeks were flushed pink and his eyes were gleaming as he grinned at the sight of the frozen cat and the message of doom…


	2. Chapter 2

**Hermione Gives Birth**

"What's going on here? What's going on?"

Filch had hear Malfoy.

"My cat! What's happened to Mrs Norris?" he shrieked.

His eyes fell on Harry and strangely, he jumped to the conclusion that Harry had done it. "You! You've killed her! I'll kill you, I'll…"

"Argus!" Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of the teachers. He lifted Mrs Norris from the torch bracket and led them all to Lockhart's office. As they entered the office, there was a flurry of movement as the Lockharts in the photos dodges out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back.

Dumbledore and McGonagall examined the cat, while Lockhart rambled one. "It was definitely a curse that killed her – probably the Transmogrifian Torture. I know the very counter-curse that would have saved her."

Filch was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at the cat.

"She has been petrified," said Dumbledore finally. "But how, I cannot say."

"Ask him!" shrieked Filch pointing at Harry.

"No second year could have done this," said Dumbledore. "It takes Dark Magic of the most advanced…"

"He did it, he did it!" Filch spat. "He knows I'm a Squib!"

That was ridiculous. Harry was so incurious about everything that he didn't even know what a Squib was!

"If I might speak headmaster," said Snape, "Potter and his friends may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But why weren't they at the Halloween Feast? Why were they in the upstairs corridor at all?"

The same could have been asked of Malfoy and any Slytherins and Hufflepuffs in the crowd who showed up immediately after the trio at the scene, but no one seemed to think of that.

They told Snape about the Deathday party.

"So why go up to that corridor?" asked Snape.

Again, why did a whole crowd of students?

Harry clearly didn't know what to say. To Hermione's relief, he didn't admit to hearing voices. If he had, then that meant a great many students had been hearing voices as well. Dumbledore knew they couldn't have petrified the dreadful cat, so they got out of there without much further trouble.

00O00

Hermione's pregnancy was advancing. One morning, before History of Magic, she looked to see her pale face in the mirror and sighed. Then she had to vomit profusely. She really hoped she wasn't going to have to vomit all through the pregnancy.

In History of Magic, Hermione asked the ghost of Professor Binns about the legend of the Chamber of Secrets. He told them the Legend, but did not believe it. It was weird how insular wizards could be when they lived in a magic world.

They investigated Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, but didn't find anything. In the Common Room, Ron gave voice the suspicion that Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin. Hermione thought of using Polyjuice Potion. She could not take it herself, as she was pregnant, but her boys could…

* * *

00O00

To get the recipe book Most Potente Potions from the Restricted Section, they needed a signed note from a teacher. They agreed that it would be best to approach Lockhart and that Hermione should say she was interested in the theory behind slow acting venoms.

Hermione threw up a lot that morning. She was aware of a slight bulge around her midriff, so she wore a thick jumper to conceal it.

Harry was hauled to the front of the class during their next Defence lesson to act a werewolf. Lockhart claimed that he had actually invented a never before heard of cure for lycanthropy, but this claim was never investigated in any way.

"Ready?" Harry muttered.

"Wait till everyone's gone," said Hermione. "Alright…" she nervously approached Lockhart's desk with a piece of paper clutched in her hand.

"Er – Professor Lockhart?" Hermione stammered. "I wanted to – to get this book out of the library. I think it would have me understand what you say in Gadding with Ghouls about slow-acting venoms…"

"Ah, Gadding with Ghouls!" said Lockhart. "Possibly my very favourite book. You enjoyed it?"

"Oh yes," said Hermione eagerly. "So clever they way you trapped that last one with the tea strainer…"

"Well I'm sure no one will mind me giving the best student in the year a little extra help," said Lockhart, taking out an enormous peacock feather quill.

He scrawled an enormous, loopy signature and gave it to Hermione who folded it with fumbling signatures.

"So, Harry," said Lockhart, "tomorrow's the first Quidditch match of the season? Gryffindor against Slytherin, is it not? I hear you're a useful player. I was a Seeker too. I could have played for England, but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of the Dark Forces. Still, if you ever feel the need for a little private training, don't hesitate to ask. Always happy to pass on my expertise to less able players…"

To Hermione's chagrin, Madame Pince kept the signed note. She had wanted to keep it as a souvenir of Lockhart. They checked out the book Most Potente Potions in the privacy of a cubicle in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Hermione had to throw up in the toilet there. It was just as well she did that right away, because some of the illustrations in Most Potente Potions made her queasy.

"It'll take a month," said Hermione, scanning the page.

"A month? Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-Borns in the school by then!" protested Ron.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, so he hastily added – "but it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead I say."

* * *

00O00

After having to watch the dreadful Quidditch match the next day where the cursed Bludger attacked Harry all game, Lockhart accidentally removed the bones from Harry's arm, so Hermione and Ron took Harry to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey insisted that the Gryffindors all leave – why wasn't she that strict about Malfoy visiting Ron the previous term? – but she didn't bother to check up on him later, so Hermione sneaked back into the ward.

She gave a start at the sight of an ugly creature with bat like ears and a pencil like nose sponging Harry's forehead.

"Dobby asks you to butt out, Miss," said the strange creature. "Dobby had to injure Harry Potter so that he would go home, like Dobby ordered. It hurt Dobby more. Dobby had to iron his own fingers to punish himself!"

The creature was unmistakably a house-elf. He held up ten bandaged fingers. A house-elf was acting like an abusive and controlling boyfriend to Harry.

"Get away from my boy!" snapped Hermione, her maternal instincts flaring up. She raised her wand, but the elf disappeared with a crack. After that, Dumbledore and McGonagall brought in Colin Creevey. He had been petrified as well! Hermione felt quite ill at the thought. He was clutching a Muggle camera full of melted film.

* * *

00O00

Next came the business of stealing the rest of the Polyjuice ingredients from Snape's office. As much as Hermione didn't want to, it was necessary for them to cause mayhem in the Potion's class and then for her to rob the office. She didn't seem aware that Harry couldn't possibly be expelled – he was meant to be groomed to be a passive martyr figure at Hogwarts by Dumbledore and his robbing Snape's office would not change that, whereas she herself was a Muggle-born, who could be kicked out of the magical community, put in Azkaban or obliviated with no repercussions. However, they decided that Harry should chuck a firework into Goyle's swelling solution instead.

Hermione winced as half the class (the Slytherins?) got splashed with the potion and suffered injuries like swelling hands, lips and eyes. Some of these could have caused suffocation if Snape hadn't had the presence of mind to have a deflating draught on hand. If he had been as dumb as Lockhart, the consequences would have been really bad.

She gritted her teeth, and although she was already regretting her plan, went into Snape's stores and stuffed her robes with the ingredients.

* * *

00O00

It was announced that there would be a Duelling Club one evening in the Great Hall.

"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" said Hermione, breathlessly.

"As long as it's not," began Harry, but ended with a groan as Lockhart and Snape entered.

Lockhart made a fool of himself, letting Snape hit him with the disarming charm, but in doing so he demonstrated a defensive spell that would prove invaluable to Harry in the end.

To Hermione's dismay, Snape partnered her with Millicent Bulstrode, a girl who had suffered a lasting effect of dragonpox which meant her skin had turned green, like a hag's. She made to grab Hermione in a headlock, but Hermione quickly pulled up the thick jumper she was wearing to show the bulge around her midriff. "Look, I'm pregnant," she said quickly. Millicent desisted.

To Hermione's further dismay, Snape picked on Harry and Malfoy to demonstrate duelling in front of everyone. Snape told Malfoy a spell to conjure a snake, and Lockhart tried to intervene, but caused the snake to fly into the air and land heavily on the floor. Harry ran up to it and hissed. The snake slumped, docile as a garden hose. Her best friend was a Parselmouth and had never told her!

Back in the common room, she and Ron confronted him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" said Hermione tearfully. "Didn't you think you could trust me?"

"Everyone's going to think you're a descendant of Slytherin," said Ron gravely. "For all we know, you could be."

* * *

00O00

At the end of term there was a double attack. Both Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick were petrified. What terrible power could hurt someone who was already dead? There was a stampede to get away on the Hogwarts Express for the holidays.

Hermione could not take part in the Polyjuice escapade as she was pregnant, so she had to wait anxiously for Harry and Ron to return and tell her that they had found out nothing – or rather, they only knew that Malfoy was not the Heir of Slytherin.

* * *

00O00

On Valentines Day, Hermione sent a Valentines Card to Professor Lockhart. She wondered whether there was ever a chance that Lockhart would be interested in a single mother? This was going to affect her whole future.

Something else happened that term. Harry found a strange enchanted diary which showed him the memories of a boy who had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago. This boy had discovered that Hagrid had had a monster in the castle at some point and been blamed for opening the Chamber of Secrets.

In the Easter holidays she had more to think about. She had to choose the subjects she would take next year. She signed up for everything, but would she be able to attend the classes? What sort of creche facilities did Hogwarts have?

Next term, it was nearly time for the Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor Quidditch match. Harry heard the mysterious voice again and Hermione understood something. She rushed off to the library to check and took a page from a book. It was about the fabled basilisk. It all fitted. The basilisk was the monster in the pipes. She rushed down the Quidditch Pitch, barely stopping to warn another girl to check around corners with a mirror. She put her mirror cautiously around the corner and then – she saw a searing yellow reptilian eye reflected in the glass. Her whole body seized up and she knew no more.

* * *

00O00

Hermione awoke in May, revived from her petrification by Mandrake root. But the birth of her foal was imminent. She huffed and hissed like a birthing housecat as her belly rippled and pulsed. Eventually the foal came out in a hot, slippery rush, it's legs all askew. A tiny, yellow foal. The body was horse shaped, but the legs did not have hooves. They just had blunt ends. The head was different, almost human shaped, with a wide mouth.

"It's a filly," said Madame Pomfrey.

Hermione gathered her foal up in her arms. It opened its eyes. It had big, brown eyes. So like her own! It began to cry in a little, whinnying voice. Hermione felt her heart melt and a warm glow of love for this strange, hybrid thing.

"Aw," said Hermione. "I'll call her Ash." Then she yelled and screamed as she had to expel the afterbirth.

* * *

00O00

Hermione could not go home that summer. She had to stay in one of Hogwarts many unused classrooms which had been enchanted to have grass, hay and a bit of greenery. Looking after her foal was a full time job. Ash needed feeding regularly at Hermione's breast and Hermione also had to clear up her poop. Hermione was somewhat dismayed by how her belly looked now. So much sagging, loose skin! She cold hold limp folds of her skin in her fingers and scrunch it into a big ball... Still, Ash needed looking after, so she couldn't dwell on it. She had a pile of books and was teaching Ash to read. The little foal was able to speak very quickly. She was only two months old, but she could now hold a conversation and read from a page when Hermione pointed at the words.

One morning in July, Hermione woke up on her bed of hay to find that her little yellow foal now had a brown, spotted pattern all over her pelt, starting with smaller spots on her face, progressing to larger spots on her body. Hermione always found spotted animals the prettiest, like leopards and giraffes at the zoo. She gave a cry of delight and scooped Ash up in her arms and couldn't stop kissing her.

"Hugs! Hugs!" Whinnied Ash.

One of the school owls flew in through the window at that point. It had a copy of the Daily Prophet in its talons. Hermione glanced at the paper and gave a sharp intake of breath at what she read…


End file.
